Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Some readers think of nonfiction as “what you should read”
not what you enjoy. The best nonfiction
books I read in the last year dispel that notion. Forget the old adage that you
need to read a particular book just as you need to eat your vegetables. Vegetables are no longer grayish green, limp
morsels with no taste. They’re tasty
treats like roasted Brussels sprouts, grilled asparagus, and scrumptious kale
chips.The best nonfiction titles offer delectable
tales that combine information about history, war, survival, health, adventure,
religion, and more with writing that places the reader in the story. These
page-turning tales will inform, amuse, enlighten, frighten, and maybe even
enrage you. Other fine nonfiction titles I read this year are on the annual list. The best of 2014 are:

·In
the Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sides

·Being
Mortal by Atun Gawande

·Soldier
Girls: The Battles of Three Women at Home and at War by
Helen Thorpe

·Dirt Work: An Education in the Woods by Christine Byl (published in 2013)After
the Wind by Lou Kasischke

·Faith Unraveled by Rachel Held Evans (Originally titled: Evolving in Monkeytown in 2012, reissued in 2014)

·The Twible: All the Chapters of the Bible in 140 Characters or Less by Jana Riess (published in 2013)

The Best Nonfiction Book of 2014 - It's a tie:

In the Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sidesis
a page-turning tale of the 1879 voyage of the SS. Jeannette in the Arctic
waters north of the Bering Strait where the crew searched for a sea passage to
the North Pole. It puts you on the ship,
in the frozen ice, and deep in the darkness of the Arctic winter during the
years the voyagers were at sea. Sides shows the remarkable courage and thought
that the exhibition commander and his crew demonstrated. I can’t imagine anyone
not enjoying this adventure.Read the full review.

Being
Mortal by
Atun Gawande is a book everyone needs to read yet the
stories Gawande tells make it engaging and filled with hope. This book will
make you think honestly about medical choices and help you ask good questions
about independence and what’s truly important to you or someone you love. Start by watching Gawande’s interview on The John Stewart Show or listen to his NPR interview with Diane Rehm. Listening to his story about his daughter’s piano teacher’s choices made me
stop the car to grab a tissue then immediately rush to the nearest bookstore to
buy the book. The research that people tend to live longer with palliative care
than with many interventions will make you think and ask good questions. Promise yourself that you'll read this even if you have to make it a New Year's resolution.

The Runners-Up:

The Best Book that Explains War, Poverty, and Human
Capital:

Soldier
Girls: The Battles of Three Women at Home and at War by Helen Thorpe tells
the compelling stories of three Indiana women joining the National Guard before
9/11 then of their unexpected service in Iraq. The upheaval in their lives and
their adjustment after will cause you to ponder. This is a fine piece of
reporting that reads like a great novel. Poverty and the increasing cost of
higher education means that our military is changing. Seeing that through these
three women’s lives brings it home to those of us who don’t think about what we
ask of our troops.

One slight quibble: I’m from Indiana so the inconsistent
editing of Indiana details bothered me. Louisville, KY is NOT south of
Evansville, IN, nor is the college in Bloomington called the University of
Indiana (She gets it right twice, wrong once). I’m hoping future editions
correct these minor errors that detract from this phenomenal book.

The Best Nature Memoir that Will Make You Appreciate Work
and Words:

Dirt
Work: An Education in the Woods by
Christine Bylis a straight-talking,
poetic, humorous look at the work of a seasonal “traildog,” a person who clears
and maintains trails in remote areas of National Parks. Byl tells of digging holes, dropping trees,
building stairs, moving boulders,
hauling chainsaws on her shoulders, wearing out countless pairs of
boots, drinking lots of Pabst Blue Ribbon, consuming 1000s of calories, and
crossing streams by slithering along logs on her butt. Byl, traildog extraordinaire, honors her
idols – Willa Cather, Jim Harrison and Thoreau - as she weaves this authentic,
gritty, gripping tale. This woman can flat out write.(published
in 2013)

The Best Book about What Happened on Mount Everest
in 1996:

After
the Wind by
Lou Kasischke tells the story of what really happened on
May 10, 1995 on Mount Everest. Learn why Kasischke survived when many others
didn’t. I edited this book so I’m biased
but even Kirkus Reviews named it one of the best of the year.Read the full review.

The Best Book about Surviving Religion and Keeping the Faith:

Faith
Unraveled by
Rachel Held Evans (Originally titled: Evolving in Monkeytown in 2012, reissued in 2014) I love, love,
love the preface in which Evans lists several things about herself. “People
tell me I exaggerate. I’ve been hurt by Christians. As a Christian, I’ve been
hurtful. I’m judgmental of people I think are judgmental. At twenty-seven, I
almost always root for the underdog, and sometimes I get the feeling that God
does too.” With that I fell down the rabbit hole and adored every minute of her
journey. Read this book!

The Most Reverent, Irreverent Book that Will Make You
Want to Read the Bible:

The
Twible: All the Chapters of the Bible in 140 Characters or Less by Jana Riess When
a kid said “The Emperor has no clothes,” everyone’s eyes opened. When Riess reverently applies irreverence to
her shortened chapters of the Bible she illuminates them in a way that’s
difficult to ignore. Only someone with her knowledge could hone in so clearly
on what each chapter says in so few words. Deuteronomy 18: “Don’t fry up your kids, cast spells, visit astrologers, or talk to the
dead. You’re special, Israel, so
straighten up and fly right.” Pithy
summations make the reader ponder and then perhaps even consult the big book
itself. (published in 2013)

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Historical
fiction is often just a guilty pleasure.
Sadly, many writers unable to imagine their own great story hide behind
history and contrive a story to match their research. But when historical fiction is well written it
isn’t a bit contrived; it’s entertaining and enlightening. Reading fine historical
fiction is like taking your grandmother’s timeless recipes and creating your
own stock from the bones left from your holiday prime ribs of beef and tasting cornbread
made in a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. These novels are as satisfying as
anything made with fresh ingredients in your grandmother’s ageless skillet. (My
definition of historical fiction is fiction set at least fifty years ago.)

The best of 2014 are:

·All
the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doeer

·Euphoria
by
Lily King

·Let
Him Go by Larry Watson (published in 2013)

·Lila
by
Marilynne Robinson

·Lucky
Us by
Amy Bloom

·The
Powers by Valerie Sayers (published in 2013)

·The
Sojourn by Andrew Krivak (published in 2011)

Yes,
Sue Monk Kidd’s The Invention of Wings is
missing from my list and yes, it’s on many other “best of” lists but while I
found the abolitionists in 1922 South Carolina and the story of Handful, the
slave, to be compelling, I was less intrigued by Sarah Grimké’s tale. I liked
each of the novels I’ve listed better.

The
Best Historical Fiction Novel of 2014

All
the Light We Cannot See by
Anthony Doeer is a book about the past that is certain to
be read far into the future. This National Book Award Finalist blends the lives
of two teenagers during World War II in a way that absolutely soars. Marie-Laure,
a blind girl, lives in Paris with her father, a locksmith at the Natural
History Museum. He builds her an intricate model of their neighborhood that she
memorizes at home then confidently navigates Paris with her cane. They escape
the German occupation in San-Malo, a walled French village, where her eccentric
uncle won’t leave their house by the sea. At the same time brilliant German
orphan Werner’s expertise with radio transmitters lands him in the Wehrmacht
tracking illegal radio transmissions and he ends up in Russia and then in Sant-Malo.
A sub plot involving a missing diamond brings in more intriguing characters.
There’s old-fashioned magic in this book with its intricate puzzle boxes,
thoughts of survival with dignity, and the power of the human spirit to endure.

The
Runners-Up

Euphoria
by Lily King, Anthropologists
Nell Stone (inspired by Margaret Mead), Stone’s husband Fen, and Englishman
Bankston canoe up New Guinea’s Sepik River to record tribal culture. A 1930s love triangle sets this distinctive
trio on their way to find euphoria. Reminiscent of Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Patchett’s State of Wonder, this novel is entirely
unique and will leave the reader unsettled, captivated, and in awe of King’s immense
talent.

Let
Him Go by
Larry Watson, George, a retired sheriff, and his wife,
Martha, head off to reclaim their grandson from their daughter-in-law who’s
remarried after their son’s death in this novel set in the early 1950s in North
Dakota and Montana. The new in-laws, a violent, evil crew, set the stage for a
frightening climax while George and Martha’s relationship stars. If you loved
Watson’s Montana, 1948 or are a fan
of Kent Haruf and Leif Enger, you’ll adore this. (2013)

Lila
by Marilynne Robinson, If
you loved Gilead, read this prequel.
It’s more essay and theology than it is narrative yet Lila and her early life
and the world of 1920s and 1930s poverty as seen through the lives of
Midwestern migrant workers are beautifully rendered and the love that builds
between Lila and Rev. Ames is almost mystical.A National Book Award finalist,
it’s on many “Best Book” lists.

Lucky
Us by
Amy Bloom is a quirky, witty, beautiful novel that opens with “My
father’s wife died. My mother said we should drive down to his place and see
what might be in it for us.” Then
11-year-old Eva’s mother abandons her on her Dad’s doorstep where she meets her
half-sister Iris. The girls go to
California where Iris is in movies until a scandal forces their move to NYC in
a Thelma and Louise-style road trip. Capturing the prejudices and pulse of the 1939–1948
period, it shows that family is more than genetics. Read my full review.

The
Powers by Valerie
Sayers is set in New York in 1941 as war looms and Joe
DiMaggio’s hitting streak seizes everyone.
It captures 17-year-old Agnes O’Leary and her grandmother, the indomitable
Babe, who has cared for Agnes’ family since her mother’s suicide. Babe, a
diehard Yankee fan, knows that her
prayers and powers fuel DiMaggio and the Yanks. The Washington Post’s Ron Charles
aptly calls Babe a “baseball loving Olive Kitteridge.” The narrative grips; Babe
and DiMaggio reign, and the photographs that are imaginatively interspersed
throughout the text make the reader feel the era. (2013)

The
Sojourn by
Andrew Krivak, Baby Jozef survives after his mother tosses
him into a Colorado river in 1899 in the bold opening of this story of war,
forgiveness, and dreams. Jozef’s father takes him back to his Slovakian
homeland where they live as shepherds. Cousin Zlee becomes Jozef’s adopted brother
and their sharpshooting and English language skills move them to the front in
World War I’s stark battles. It’s a spare, Cormac McCarthy-like rendering of
war, survival, love, and forgiveness that was a National Book Award
finalist. It’s sad how few people know
about this great novel. (2011)

Monday, December 29, 2014

Usually I choose one, or at most, two debut novels as the
best of the year but the debut fiction category for 2014 is exceptionally
strong and it deserves a list of its own.
I love debut fiction as it almost always shows the heart and soul of an
author. Sometimes in first novels the
author’s ebullience comes at the expense of polished prose but not this
year. Redeployment by Phil Klay won the National Book Award and Everything I Never Told You by Celeste
Ng was Amazon’s Best Book of the Year Choice. Both are also on my short list along
with five other terrific tales.

·Byrd by
Kim Church

·Everything
I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

·Fives
and Twenty-Fives by Michael Pitre

·Fourth
of July Creek by Smith Henderson

·A
Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman

·Redeployment
by
Phil Klay

·Shotgun
Lovesongs by Nickolas Butler

·We
Are Called to Rise by Laura McBride

I love them all as well as several other strong debut
titles that you’ll find on my annual list so selecting a best of the best seems
like trying to decide which of my kidneys I like better than the other. So with
that not-so-appetizing picture in mind, the winners are:

Best Debut Novels of 2014 – A Three-Way Tie

Redeployment
by Philip Klay is
a smorgasbord of hurt delivered with a one-two punch. Klay’s vivid debut
delivers interconnected short stories that punctuate the Iraqi landscape with
the lives of those attempting to serve. Chaplains, soldiers, Foreign Service
flunkies, and more deliver searing tales
Klay’s pen is a scalpel that cuts through the horror to deliver an
eloquent portrait of a unique war. Every member of Congress and those in the
Cabinet need to read this year’s National Book Award winner.

Shotgun
Lovesongs by
Nickolas Butler delivers the reader into the lives of four
men in their thirties that grew up together in Little Wing, a small Wisconsin
town. Hank stayed to farm his family’s
land and rear his children with his wife Beth.
The others left: one to Chicago to trade commodities and make money, one
to take risks riding in rodeos, and one to become a famous rock star. Shotgun not only captures their lives
and the truth and beauty of life in the Midwest (yet it’s NOT a regional
novel), it’s also funny, passionate and real.
Some of the people I care most about in this world are in their thirties
and from the Midwest and this novel is them.
Still Shotgun is more; it’s a novel with
minor characters and their own powerful stories. The tale of Harvey Bunyan, an
old farmer that Kip, the broker, met at a gas station, reads like a fine Cheever
short story and it miraculously appears just when we need to know more about
who Kip is. The writing chops that make something like Harvey’s story work with
Kip’s are why Butler is a writer to watch and Shotgun Lovesongs is a book you must read.

We
Are Called to Rise by
Laura McBride tells the hope-filled story of Bashkim, an
8-year-old Albanian boy; Luis, a soldier injured in Iraq; and two women who try
to help in the face of tragic mistakes. This wonder of a novel is set in a Las
Vegas no one knows. Only a gifted writer could make poverty, war, and prejudice
this engaging and positive.

McBride
says, “I wanted to tell a story that might make a reader have a big feeling,
the sense that no matter how cruel life could be in a given moment, no matter
how terrible the consequences of a tiny mistake, it was ultimately beautiful to
live. I didn’t set out to write a book
about war or poverty or racism, I just wanted the reader to love a child enough
to feel devastated when that child’s heart was broken and euphoric when that
child got a chance at hope.” Debut author McBride accomplished her goal.

This
year my heart has bled because of what’s happened in Ferguson, MO and other
towns across America and every time I try to think what we could do to make
things better, my mind goes back to We Are
Called to Rise and people who work to improve lives. If ever there were a year when we simply need
to read about a child getting a chance at hope this year is it. Read the full review.

The Runners-Up

Byrd by Kim Church, As
Addie writes letters to the baby she gave up for adoption she slowly reveals
herself and her story. Byrd is her name
for the boy who she’s let soar into a good life without her. This superb debut
novel quietly builds toward Addie’s becoming herself. It’s a wonder! Read the full review.

Everything
I Never Told You by
Celeste Ng opens with: “Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this
yet.” When teenaged Lydia can’t be found,
the lack of communication in her Chinese-American family shows that things left
unsaid can damage. By exploring what it means to be an outsider, this tense,
page-turning debut novel makes you read slowly to get every morsel. This is the book I’d give to intelligent
teens who feel that they don’t fit.

Fives
and Twenty-Fives by
Michael Pitre embeds the reader into a group of Marines in
Iraq charged with identifying, disabling, and filling mined potholes. They also
must recognize and cope with the danger and despair of a war that has made
cavities inside each of them and what that means when they get home. This tough read is insanely beautiful. I
wanted to personally rescue the young Iraqi interpreter who reads Huck Finn to calm himself.

Fourth
of July Creek by
Smith Henderson is as gourmet as a book can be. The writing is so smooth it reads like
lobster dipped in melted butter. It’s a brutally shattering tale of families
that go off track without knowing they’re slipping. Pete Snow is a rural
Montana social worker whose own family is a mess. When he meets mountain man
Jeremiah Pearl through Pearl’s son Benjamin who has scurvy and giardia, he
hopes to gain Pearl’s trust but trust is a rare commodity in this strange
country. A brilliant debut! Read the full review.

A
Man Called Ove by
Fredrick Backman, Ove, a grumpy Swedish curmudgeon,
annoyingly tells everyone the right way to do things, won’t allow what he
considers unseemly behavior in his
terrace, and wants to be left alone. Ove’s backstory reveals itself as he’s
forced to interact with his neighbors, the mail carrier, and a cat. I’m madly
in love with Ove. If you loved Major
Pettigrew’s Last Stand, you’re in for a treat.

About Me - Trina Hayes

Connecting people with books they'll love is what I do. I lead three book clubs and participate in another. I speak about books to library, university, social and civic groups and I'd love to speak to your gathering. My annual book list of the more than 100 books I read and review every year comes out every November. Find past lists on the pages listed below. Because I'm always hungry for good books, I categorize the books on the lists and on my posts by food groups as explained in the review categories listed below.

Contact me with questions or about hiring me to speak at trinabookhungry@gmail.com or by posting a comment on one of my reviews.